Eric Latzky Culture | Communications NY

ELCCNY NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 11, 2020 Contact: Eric Latzky, [email protected], +1 212-358-0223

ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S CONSERVANCY Restoring A National Historic Landmark

GALA ORGAN CONCERT THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Music Director DAVID ROBERTSON, Conductor PAOLO BORDIGNON, Organist

MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2020 ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S CHURCH, Gala Dinner to Follow at the Mutual of America Building, Park Avenue HONORING BARBARALEE DIAMONSTEIN-SPIELVOGEL AND MUTUAL OF AMERICA FINANCIAL GROUP

EVENT SUPPORTS THE RESTORATION OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S CHURCH Designated a National Historic Landmark in 2016 LAUNCH OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S CONSERVANCY SQUARE FOOT CAMPAIGN Initial Phase Raising Funds to Help Restore the Church Building’s North Façade

CONCERT TO FEATURE 16th – 20th CENTURY WORKS FOR ORGAN AND ORCHESTRA FEATURING THE ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S 12,400+ PIPE ORGAN Housed in the Church Walls and Newly Restored Great Dome

St. Bartholomew’s Conservancy presents The Philadelphia Orchestra in a Gala Concert of organ compositions from Bach to Saint-Saëns, Elgar to Beach – Monday, June 29, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. in the nave of St. Bartholomew’s Church, 325 Park Avenue, New York. David Robertson will conduct. Paolo Bordignon, St. Bartholomew’s Organist and Choirmaster, will perform on the largest pipe organ in (12,400+ pipes), including its so-called “Celestial Division” housed in the newly restored Great Dome.

The Gala evening will begin with a cocktail reception at 6:00 p.m. and conclude with a post-concert dinner honoring Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel and Mutual of America Financial Group for their support of restoring and preserving the St. Bartholomew’s site. The dinner will take place on -more- ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S CONSERVANCY / GALA ORGAN CONCERT Page Two the 35th Floor of the Mutual of America Building, 320 Park Avenue, directly across from the concert venue. The evening will support the ongoing work of the St. Bartholomew’s Conservancy, including launching the Conservancy’s Square Foot Campaign, initially focused on helping fund restoration of the Church Building’s much deteriorated North Façade.

Information about Gala ticket levels, beginning at $2,500, is available from Cailin Fitzgerald at The JFM Group, at 212-921-9070, ext. 11, or [email protected]. Gala tickets may be purchased online at www.stbconservancy.org/gala-organ-concert.

The repertoire will include selections and excerpts of compositions for organ and orchestra from the 16th – 20th centuries – works by the French and Belgian composers Gigout (a pupil of Saint-Saëns), Jongen, Fauré (“Pie Jesu” from Requiem), Duruflé (whose musical training spanned the Rouen Cathedral to Notre Dame), Saint-Saëns (the finale of his Symphony No. 3, “Organ”); Gabrieli’s late 16th century Canzon in Double Echo; a late work by American composer Amy Beach, Prelude on an Old Folk Tune; Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1; and two works by Bach, including Leopold Stokowski’s orchestration of the master’s Little Fugue in G minor. Full concert repertoire is listed below.

The St. Bartholomew’s Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ, a superb example of the American Classic Organ, is the largest in New York City and among the largest in the world. A full history of the instrument is available at: www.stbarts.org/music/pipe-organ/. Completed in 1930, St. Bartholomew’s Church on Park Avenue is likewise an outstanding example of the work of architect Bertram G. Goodhue. The building’s main entrance is through the renowned Triple Portal, designed in 1903 by Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White, and inspired by the porch of France’s Abbey Church of St. Gilles-du-Gard, one of Medieval Europe’s grandest pilgrimage destinations. Its bronze doors and friezes are the work of distinguished American sculptors Philip Martiny, Herbert Adams, and Andrew O’Connor, the last in collaboration with sculptor Daniel Chester French. The interior contains works by architectural sculptor Lee Lawrie and mosaicist and muralist Hildreth Meière whose work can also be seen at Rockefeller Center and Temple Emanu-El. In 2016 the St. Bartholomew’s site was designated a National Historic Landmark.

With this performance by The Philadelphia Orchestra, the spirit of Leopold Stokowski returns to New York. In 1905, St. Bartholomew’s Church, located at the time on Madison Avenue, brought the then unknown conductor from Europe to New York to become its Organist and Choirmaster. Stokowski’s arrival in the City prompted noteworthy changes in musical performance, beginning with adding female voices to a church choir.

A limited number of Special VIP tickets, including the concert and private post-concert reception are $500 and $1,000, and can be purchased online at www.stbconservancy.org/gala-organ-concert, or by phone at 212-921-9070, ext. 11. General Admission Tickets begin at $75, and can be purchased online at www.stbconservancy.org/phil-orch-organ-concert or by phone at 212-710-9694.

THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the world’s preeminent orchestras. It strives to share the transformative power of music with the widest possible audience, and to create joy, connection, and -more- ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S CONSERVANCY / GALA ORGAN CONCERT Page Three excitement through music in the Philadelphia region, across the country, and around the world. Through innovative programming, robust educational initiatives, and an ongoing commitment to the communities that it serves, the ensemble is on a path to create an expansive future for classical music, and to further the place of the arts in an open and democratic society.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin is now in his eighth season as the eighth music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra. His connection to the ensemble’s musicians has been praised by both concertgoers and critics, and he is embraced by the musicians of the Orchestra, audiences, and the community.

Your Philadelphia Orchestra takes great pride in its hometown, performing for the people of Philadelphia year-round, from Verizon Hall to community centers, the Mann Center to Penn’s Landing, classrooms to hospitals, and over the airwaves and online. The Orchestra continues to discover new and inventive ways to nurture its relationship with loyal patrons.

The Philadelphia Orchestra continues the tradition of educational and community engagement for listeners of all ages. It launched its HEAR initiative in 2016 to become a major force for good in every community that it serves. HEAR is a portfolio of integrated initiatives that promotes Health, champions music Education, enables broad Access to Orchestra performances, and maximizes impact through Research. The Orchestra’s award-winning education and community initiatives engage over 50,000 students, families, and community members through programs such as PlayINs, side-by-sides, PopUP concerts, Free Neighborhood Concerts, School Concerts, sensory-friendly concerts, the School Partnership Program and School Ensemble Program, and All City Orchestra Fellowships.

Through concerts, tours, residencies, and recordings, the Orchestra is a global ambassador. It performs annually at Carnegie Hall, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and the Bravo! Vail Music Festival. The Orchestra also has a rich history of touring, having first performed outside Philadelphia in the earliest days of its founding. It was the first American orchestra to perform in the People’s Republic of China in 1973, launching a now-five-decade commitment of people-to- people exchange.

The Orchestra also makes live recordings available on popular digital music services and as part of the Listen on Demand section of its website. Under Yannick’s leadership, the Orchestra returned to recording, with seven celebrated CDs on the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label. The Orchestra also reaches thousands of radio listeners with weekly broadcasts on WRTI-FM and SiriusXM. For more information, please visit www.philorch.org.

DAVID ROBERTSON, CONDUCTOR David Robertson – conductor, artist, thinker, and American musical visionary – occupies some of the most prominent platforms on the international music scene. A highly sought-after podium figure in the worlds of opera, orchestral music, and new music, Robertson is celebrated worldwide as a champion of contemporary composers, an ingenious and adventurous programmer, and a masterful communicator whose passionate advocacy for the art form is widely recognized.

Robertson has served in numerous artistic leadership positions, such as Chief Conductor and -more- ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S CONSERVANCY / GALA ORGAN CONCERT Page Four

Artistic Director of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and a transformative 13-year tenure as Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, solidifying its status as among the nation’s most innovative, establishing fruitful relationships with a spectrum of artists, and garnering a 2014 Grammy Award for the Nonesuch release of John Adams’ City Noir. Earlier artistic leadership positions include at the Orchestre National de Lyon; as a protégé of Pierre Boulez, the Ensemble InterContemporain; as Principal Guest at the BBC Symphony Orchestra; and as a Perspectives Artist at Carnegie Hall, where he has conducted numerous orchestras. He appears regularly with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Bayerischen Rundfunk, and other major European orchestras and festivals. Robertson continues a longstanding and rich collaboration with the New York Philharmonic, and conducts numerous North American ensembles, including the Montreal, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, National, Houston and Dallas Symphony Orchestras, and the Juilliard Orchestra, where he serves as Director of Conducting Studies, Distinguished Visiting Faculty.

Robertson continues to build upon his deep conducting relationship with The Metropolitan Opera, including James Robinson’s premier production of Porgy and Bess (2019), and the premier of Phelim McDermott’s celebrated production of Così fan tutte (2018). Since his 1996 Met Opera debut, The Makropulos Case, he has conducted a breathtaking range of projects, including the Met premiere of John Adams’ The Death of Klinghoffer (2014); the 2016 revival of Janáček’s Jenůfa; and many favorites. Robertson conducts at the world’s most prestigious opera houses, including La Scala, Rome, Théâtre du Châtelet, San Francisco and Santa Fe Operas.

Robertson is the recipient of numerous awards, and in 2010 was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France. He is devoted to supporting young musicians and has worked with students at festivals ranging from Aspen to Tanglewood to Lucerne.

PAOLO BORDIGNON, ORGANIST Paolo Bordignon Organist and Choirmaster of St. Bartholomew’s Church, previously served as St. Bart’s Associate Music Director from 2005 to 2014, and then served as the Director of Music at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Houston before recently returning to New York. He is harpsichordist of the New York Philharmonic and performed in the 2018-19 season with Camerata Pacifica, the Chamber Music Society of , Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, ECCO, the Florida Orchestra, and Trans-Siberian Arts Festival tour with the Sejong Soloists. He has been a frequent organ recitalist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Bordignon has participated in festivals including Aspen, Bard, Bridgehampton, Grand Tetons, Mostly Mozart, and Palm Beach, as well as New York Fashion Week. He has collaborated with Renée Fleming, James Galway, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby McFerrin, Midori, Itzhak Perlman, and with composers Philip Glass and Elliott Carter as soloist in their concerti. Born in Toronto of Italian heritage, Dr. Bordignon is a graduate of St. Michael’s Choir School, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the Juilliard School. He is an associate of the Royal Conservatory of Music and a fellow of the Royal Canadian College of Organists -more-

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DR. BARBARALEE DIAMONSTEIN-SPIELVOGEL Dr. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel was the first Director of Cultural Affairs in New York City, is the author of 24 books on culture, arts, urban and preservation issues, and has served as the curator of eight international traveling museum exhibitions. She was the producer and interviewer for seven television series about the arts, architecture, design, crafts, and public policy for the Arts & Entertainment Network, and many other programs for such national networks as CBS and NBC. Her television interviews are now available on YouTube, having been digitized by the Diamonstein- Spielvogel Video Archives at Duke University.

She was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the Board of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and served as Chair of the Sub-committee of the Museum that commissioned their Art for the Public Spaces. In 1996, she was appointed by President William J. Clinton to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA); in 2002, she was the first woman to be elected as Vice Chair of the CFA in its century-long history.

Dr. Spielvogel was the first woman to be elected, in 2001, as an honorary member of PEN-Slovakia; and in 2003, received the Gen. Milan R. Stefanik Award for contributing to the advancement of public knowledge about the Slovak nation and people. In 2004, The Slovak Republic's Ministry of Foreign Affairs decorated her for “her remarkable personal contribution to the development of a civil society in Slovakia.” In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed her to the American Battle Monuments Commission, which oversees the design, construction, and maintenance of the U.S. military memorials throughout the world, where she chaired the ABMC New Memorials Committee. In July 2013, she was named to lead the ABMC delegation to Busan, Korea, and was the keynote speaker at the ceremonies commemorating the 60th anniversary of the armistice of the Korean War, attended by leaders and veterans of 21 participating nations. In 2018, she was appointed to the newly-formed American Battle Monuments Foundation.

Appointed to the New York State Council on the Arts in 2007, from 2013 to 2016, she served as Vice Chair, and was appointed Chair by Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2016, serving in that capacity until 2018. She was the longest serving member of the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, spanning four mayoral administrations, from 1972 to 1987. She then served as the Chair of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Foundation from 1987 to 1995, where she created and underwrote the placement of Historic District street signs, descriptive markers, and maps in each of New York City's then 84 Historic Districts, programs which have since become models for similar initiatives throughout the United States. Dr. Diamonstein-Spielvogel has been the Chair of The Historic Landmarks Preservation Center since 1995.

In addition to her extensive public service, Dr. Diamonstein-Spielvogel, the recipient of numerous honors and awards, is the Founder and Chair of the NYC Landmarks50+ Alliance, a consortium of more than 189 organizations representing the literary, visual and performing arts, business, medicine, science, architecture, and preservation, convened to commemorate and honor the significant anniversaries of the passage of the NYC Landmarks law in 1965.

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She is married to the leading international business executive, and former U.S. Ambassador to The Slovak Republic, Carl Spielvogel.

MUTUAL OF AMERICA FINANCIAL GROUP Mutual of America Financial Group is a long-time advocate, neighbor and friend of St. Bartholomew’s Conservancy and appreciates the invaluable work it accomplishes in the community, including through St. Bartholomew’s Church and Community House. The Company was especially honored to support the recent restoration and preservation of the iconic Great Dome atop St. Bartholomew’s Church, a stunning National Historic Landmark located directly across the street from Mutual of America’s headquarters at 320 Park Avenue in New York City.

Mutual of America is a leading provider of retirement products, offering personalized service at an exceptional value to help plan participants and individuals build and preserve assets for a financially secure future. Integrity, prudence and reliability are the values that have guided us since our inception in 1945 and that continue to serve us well. For more information, visit mutualofamerica.com, and connect with us via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S CONSERVANCY The St. Bartholomew’s Conservancy is an independent, tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Its mission is to help fund restoring and preserving the exterior and gardens of the St. Bartholomew’s site, long a celebrated New York City Landmark and one of the City’s recently designated National Historic Landmarks.

To date, the Conservancy has contributed over $2.5 million to essential restoration and preservation projects, including Great Dome restoration, drainage and roof replacement, retiling the Park Avenue Terrace, and restoring stone and iron work. By helping bring this remarkable architectural gem back to life the Conservancy seeks to enhance the beauty of Park Avenue while heightening public awareness of the importance of preserving historic buildings and open space in densely populated urban areas. For more information please visit www.stbconservancy.org.

THE ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S SITE Recognized the world over for their masterful integration of architecture and art, St. Bartholomew’s Church and Community House were completed in 1930. Romanesque in form with rich Byzantine decoration, the two stylistically akin structures and their abutting gardens sit astride a full block of Park Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets in midtown . So situated, they create an airy oasis amidst an otherwise dense corridor of soaring office towers. The site was designated a New York City Landmark in 1967, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and designated a National Historic Landmark on October 31, 2016.

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JUNE 29, 2020

Cocktail Reception, 6pm Inside Park at St. Bart's 325 Park Avenue, New York

Organ Concert, 7pm St. Bartholomew’s Church 325 Park Avenue, New York

THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA David Robertson, Conductor Paolo Bordignon, Organist

Gigout Grand cheour dialogué Jongen Toccata from Symphonie concertante Bach / Stokowski Little Fugue in G minor Bach Sinfonia from Cantata No. 29 Fauré “Pie Jesu” from Requiem (vocalist TBA) Duruflé Scherzo Gabrieli Canzon in Double Echo Beach Prelude on an Old Folk Tune (“The Fair Hills of Eire, O!”) Saint-Saëns Finale from Symphony No. 3, “Organ” Elgar Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1

Gala Dinner to 8:30pm The Mutual of America Building, 35th Floor 320 Park Avenue, New York

Post-Concert Cocktail Reception (for VIP Ticket Holders), 8:30pm Inside Park at St. Bart’s 325 Park Avenue, New York

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